The Funky Cat: Geck-o’s New QULT !

Rik aka Geck-o is one of the most astonishing artists you will ever encounter in the scene, and this not only for his rich and funky everlasting crave to push the boundaries further in music. This guy is a free electron and whatever he touches turns into living gold. Everybody remembers his sick contribution to the QULT legacy where, with some artists like A*S*Y*S, ACTI, Audiofreq, Donnie Darko and so on, he provided a whole new dimension in the harder styles.

The most interesting thing with him, is that he is not attached to any genre at all, and embraces them all as long as it stays funky and trippy enough to blow your mind, every time he performs live. Whether you are familiar with his unparallelled legacy or not doesn’t really matter though, and we will prove some of you wrong if you thought you needed to do acid to get totally hooked to his style!

And today we have again the pleasure to host Hardstyle Megamind Geck-o, and considering his smile at the moment, I’m pretty sure that it’s going to get pretty Funky!

Please welcome to the decks… the one and only Geck-o! How is it going man? It’s a pleasure to have you back at the Mag!The pleasure is all mine! At this very moment I’m as busy as I can be with organising The Funky Cat’s fifth party, and releasing some great stuff on my label.

It’s also your 18th Episode with The Funky Cat and I wanted to come back to that new ‘QULT’ of yours. For that I would love if you could explain a little bit explain why QULT stopped a year and a half ago?Can’t believe we’re up that high in the numbers already with the radio show! Feels like we’ve just started 😉 And before that 57 episodes of the QULT show… so why did it stop? It’s a combination of reasons, but mainly an anticipated growth of the parties that did not happen. I think it was bound to be an underground thing, but the hope was to infect the bigger crowds with the QULT virus as well. After three years and a few setbacks, the experiment came to an end with an amazing Last Supper.

I remember to have bought a Batman smiley QULT t-shirt back then. Those parties were out of this world! And at Defqon.1 it was a place many people loved to visit for it’s crazy vibe! When you started The Funky Cat, were you thinking that you had to take the torch and move on with a similar show, or do something that were more like you?Both, really 😉 With QULT, I found a place to call home, with many characteristics that fit me and my music. After a bit of mourning – an important process – I saw the ultimate chance to start my own platform. Taking the stuff I loved about QULT, and turning it into something that is more me. Discovering all of this is an ongoing process, and I take the follower of The Funky Cat with me on this journey.

An important lesson I learned, as I mentioned before, is that my music is bound to be underground by nature. So that’s what I aim for, a nice and cozy place for music lovers who like it a bit different. It doesn’t have to blow up.

Geck-o - live recorded at The Funky Cat #4

I don’t think we asked this questions in previews interviews we had with you… but you seem to be very much fond of cats as on many covers we can find cats, whether they look like aliens (Unknown Caller), big predators chasing down cattle at the edge of the jungle (No Animals Were Harmed), or simply in ‘The Funky Cat’ name and cover. What does this animal represent for you?The cat comes across as intelligent and gracious, but is also playful and does whatever it wants. Perfectly matching the trickster personality of our funky patron! And myself, probably 😉

Ahahah ! 🙂 Back to music, I noticed a big difference back when there were some QULT podcasts. In ‘The Funky Cat’ I can easily perceive that you are somehow more free to select the music of your liking. What changed for you with The Funky Cat?With QULT, it was always thinking conceptually. Q-dance takes that really far, so I learned to really think within the realm of the concept, making for a fine balance between my own taste and the higher cause. This is actually also the case with The Funky Cat! You need those borders – even if just vaguely defined with certain feelings – for it to make sense. For it to have purpose.

But I did indeed stretch the borders a bit for my own concept, as I thought QULT found itself stuck too much in the subground paradigm, to be honest.

The Funky Cat episode 17

Every time you make an Episode of The Funky Cat, what do you tell yourself? What do you want to share with your listeners?Every episode challenges me to make the most amazing mix of the moment, to take the listener on an intense adventurous musical trip with many emotions and impressions. I spend a huge amount of time on perfecting the mix and timing everything just the right way, for the ultimate flow.

A big help is always the input from the listeners. In the week before the show, I ask people’s favorites of the moment on Facebook. I usually pick some of them to play, and get some great leads to new music.

If I had to pick between three of my favorite episodes of the Funky Cat so far I would definitely pick The Funky Cat takeover by Wavolizer | Episode #04, The Funky Cat Episode 17 – Extended OLD vs NEW and your last post Geck-o live record at The Funky Cat #4. What is your favorite Episode?For me, all episodes are amazing, as I put so much love in them 😉 Not going to choose between my children!

The Funky Cat episode 04 ~ takeover by Wavolizer ~ January 2016

You are also hosting ‘The Funky Cat’ parties, and this Saturday is the fifth edition at P60 Amstelveen. Are those events some kind of a complement to your podcasts, or is it more like a new staple subground ‘rendez-vous’ for all the people that were fans of QULT?For me, the events give my music its right of existence, as lots of it is made for the dancefloor, and is that alternative that you won’t hear it at a lot of other parties. It is the place where the lovers of the music come together and make contact. I’ve seen incredible friendships and love stories emerge! Everyone is very committed to the intense experience, which makes for the best atmosphere. This human aspect, the sharing of the moment, is what it’s all about for me.

This Saturday will have an extra special layer, as I’m celebrating my birthday with a special set, including some surprise guests. I’m also opening the party with my new project ‘How To Be Invisible’, a new alias for my techno music. And let’s not forget the album release of Bold Action, and the return of subground master ACTI!

This summer at Defqon.1 you will also present ‘The Funky Cat’ at Defqon.1. And man I cannot hide my impatience to see what it will be like! Could you tell us a little bit more of what can we expect for this very promising set?Defqon.1 is always the perfect place to show people what The Funky Cat – or previously QULT – is about. For a lot of international people, it’s their only chance to witness it! This always makes for an electric atmosphere. I get shivers thinking about the past two years… will never forget that energy from the crowd! This year, I’ve branded my set with The Funky Cat to make extra clear that I’m not just gonna play a fun freestyle set. I want to take the trip a bit deeper. So I invite everyone to come and surrender to the experience!

It was a pleasure to have you again with us Rik, we wish you the absolute best with The Funky Cat and also for your the future! Thank you for your time and please keep us fresh & funky with your amazing podcasts!Thanks, will do 😉 also have shitloads of music to release, so be sure to keep an eye on The Funky Cat’s label as well!

Connect with Geck-o:http://geck-o.nlhttp://facebook.com/geckoNLhttp://soundcloud.com/geckoNLhttp://mixcloud.com/geckoNLhttp://twitter.com/geckoNLhttp://instagram.com/geckoNLhttp://youtube.com/geckogecke

Connect with The Funky Cat:http://thefunkycat.comhttp://facebook.com/thefunkycathttp://soundcloud.com/the-funky-cathttp://youtube.com/thefunkycat